Hello Reader,

The Portugal farm tour hasn’t even happened yet, but the response to it has shown me that quite a few of you are interested in combining travel with learning about goats and the people who have built businesses around them.

So, I’m exploring another possibility—this time closer to home.

How would you feel about spending a week cruising around Hawaii while visiting goat dairies, agritourism farms, and other goat businesses?

The cruise I’m considering is Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America, sailing round-trip from Honolulu from Saturday, January 1, through Saturday, January 8, 2028.

The itinerary includes:

• Two days on Maui
• One day in Hilo on the Big Island
• One day in Kona on the Big Island
• Two days on Kauai
• A cruise past the beautiful Nā Pali Coast

Why that particular week?

About a year ago, I mentioned that my husband planned to retire in May. For several reasons, that didn’t happen, so he is still tied to the academic calendar. A cruise during the holiday break would make it possible for him to come with me—and after all these years of taking care of the farm while I travel, I would really like him to be able to join us!

Because the ship leaves Honolulu on New Year’s Day, everyone would need to fly to Hawaii on December 31 or earlier. I would strongly recommend arriving at least a day before any cruise anyway, because a delayed or canceled flight could cause you to miss the ship. Anyone who wants more time on Oahu could arrive several days early and turn it into a longer vacation.

The cruise itself is currently starting at approximately:

• $2,500 per person for an inside cabin
• $2,800 per person for an oceanview cabin
• $3,900 per person for a balcony cabin
• $5,600 per person for a suite

Those prices are based on two people sharing a cabin and can change. You would be booking the cruise directly with the cruiseline. Solo cabins and single-occupancy prices would be higher. Airfare, a hotel before the cruise, gratuities, optional onboard packages, goat tours, and other personal expenses would be additional.

My goal would be to keep our total goat tours and educational activities under $1,000 per person. I was told that excursions booked through a cruise line can easily cost $300 per person for a single tour, so I would explore private group transportation and tours instead.

Nothing has been arranged yet, but some of the possibilities include:

• A commercial goat dairy and agritourism business on Maui
• A goat-grazing operation that uses goats for vegetation management and wildfire prevention
• Farmstead goat dairies on the Big Island
• Feral goat education on the Big Island
• An organic micro-dairy on Kauai
• Businesses producing goat cheese, soap, candy, and other value-added products
• Conversations about the challenges of raising goats and producing food in a tropical island environment

This would not be a week of sitting in a conference room listening to lectures. The islands and the goat businesses would be our classroom, with time built in to enjoy Hawaii and the cruise too.

Right now, I am simply trying to determine whether enough people are genuinely interested for me to begin contacting farms, talking with a group-cruise specialist, and working out the details.

If a Hawaii goat-learning cruise sounds like something you might seriously consider, click the link below. Clicking does not commit you to anything and is not a reservation. It simply tells me to tag you for future information about the possible Hawaii trip.

​YES! I’M INTERESTED IN THE HAWAII TRIP​

You can also see the cruise we are considering here:

​VIEW THE JANUARY 1–8, 2028 CRUISE​

If there is enough interest, I’ll start investigating private farm visits, group cruise pricing, payment options, and exactly what we could create together.

Aloha—and perhaps I’ll see you in Hawaii!

Deborah